372 BOTANY : ITS POSITION AND PEOSPECTS 



You think that Praecursores of the first Orders of the Cape 

 Flora would not be valuable, because of the little novelty, 

 but I think you have the old error of preferring novelty to 

 anything else. Where for instance can I go for a tolerably 

 accurate notion of Cape species of Banunculaceae ? It will 

 be a greater novelty to me to find in your Flora 3 Anemones 

 reduced to 2, than to find them raised to 4, and in my idea 

 it is a far more valuable fact, for reducing a bad species is 

 far better than making a new. What I regret is to see so 

 much good sound common Bot. information carried to the 

 grave by the holders, because being insensibly acquired its 

 real value is overlooked by them. I had the same difficulty 

 in getting Thomson to supply sketches of the Tibetan and 

 N.W. Floras for an Intro d. Essay he could quite see the 

 value of my doing it for the Sikkim Flora ! So it is with 

 the distribution of Southern Algae, and I do believe that I 

 should do more good to Science by inducing you to give us 

 a good unlabored essay on this subject than by attempting 

 higher things myself or urging you to do so. Botany goes 

 to the dogs from the prevalence of this mauvaise honte 

 and false pride. 



You are certainly far too hard worked, and I do long to 

 see the end of some of your great labors. You should never 

 work beyond 11 J P.M., and you should not poison yourself I l 

 The expense of that would be well reimbursed in otherwise 

 employing your time. I think you should still lay out for 

 gluer, and catalogue yourself, as these are very improving 

 operations and easy ones on the whole, not demanding too 

 much brain work or sedentary employment. With Wife's 

 love, Ever your affect. 



J. D. HOOKER. 



Excuse this scrawl. Tim [the pet cat] bothered me most 

 of the time. 



In short, as he adds on October 23 : 



The besetting sin of the Botanists of the day is the 

 craving for perfect materials ; forgetful that these Sciences 

 are all progressive, and our efforts but steps in the pro- 

 gression. 



V 



1 I.e. himself apply insect-destroyer to his herbarium. 



